Accessible Cabinetry System

ABSTRACT

A high cabinet may be mechanically lowered to within reach of a disabled user. A single cabinet is mounted between a pair of vertically sliding plates, which are mounted between a pair of horizontally sliding plates, which are mounted within a wall or enclosure. Slidable mounting is achieved by pairs of vertical and horizontal tracks. The cabinet is moved along the horizontal tracks by one or more horizontally oriented linear motors, and moved along the vertical tracks by one or more vertically oriented linear motors.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application No. 13/34948, filed Jan. 5, 2013, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to cabinetry and in particular to mechanized cabinetry wherein a high cabinet may be lowered to be within reach of a disabled user, such as a user confined to a wheelchair. Conventional fixed cabinets, when located high up, are typically only within reach of a standing adult and are therefore completely inaccessible to wheelchair-bound individuals. At the same time, conventional fixed cabinetry provides a well-known solution for the use of storage space near the ceiling within a living area. To provide disabled users the ability to use storage space near the ceiling, a useful device would provide a cabinet that temporarily lowers itself and its contents to within reach of a disabled user in a manner that is safe, gentle, and reliable. While some moving cabinet designs exists, these systems are generally limited by the requirement that an area of countertop be kept completely clear; an improved device would allow for whole or partial region of the countertop below the cabinet to be used for storage of frequently needed items or for active use in food preparation, during which the user might wish to access the contents of the cabinet.

German Patent DE 19923494, issued Jan. 18, 2001 to Droege discloses a cabinet system on both horizontal and vertical sliding tracks, however only the horizontal sliding tracks are powered, and then only at the expense of a large potential storage volume near the top of the cabinet (Droege, FIG. 5). Further, the Applicant has discovered by experiment that most standard motors lack the needed torque and speed in a small package to practicably move the weight of a loaded kitchen cabinet within a usefully short period of time. The applicant has successfully miniaturized the actuation mechanism for both the horizontal and vertical tracks, not only by including a motor that successfully provides the needed torque and speed, but also permits the pulley system to be housed within the track, therefore avoiding significant wasted space as seen in Droege.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the invention is directed to a system of mechanized cabinetry wherein a high near-ceiling cabinet may be mechanically lowered to within reach of a disabled user. Three exemplary embodiments are provided. In the first exemplary embodiment, an otherwise ordinary cabinet having otherwise ordinary doors is attached to a wall by two sets of rotatable lever arms, which allow the cabinet to be translationally moved between a raised position against a wall and a lowered position out from the same wall, optionally resting on a countertop. In the second exemplary embodiment, a scissor-jack type mechanism pushes an outer cabinet out from the wall and a sliding mechanism allows an inner cabinet to drop down from within the outer cabinet. In the third exemplary embodiment, a single cabinet is mounted between a pair of vertically sliding plates, which are mounted between a pair of horizontally sliding plates.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated into and constitute a part of the specification. They illustrate the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a front view of the first exemplary embodiment in raised position.

FIG. 2 shows a front view of the first exemplary embodiment in lowered position.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the first exemplary embodiment in raised position.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of the first exemplary embodiment in lowered position.

FIG. 5 shows a front rear view of the first exemplary embodiment in raised position.

FIG. 6 shows a rear view of the first exemplary embodiment in lowered position.

FIG. 7 shows a side view of the second exemplary embodiment in extended and raised position.

FIG. 8 shows a side view of the second exemplary embodiment in extended and lowered position.

FIG. 9 shows front view of the second exemplary embodiment in raised position.

FIG. 10 shows a front view of the second exemplary embodiment in lowered position.

FIG. 11 shows a rear view of the second exemplary embodiment in extended position.

FIG. 12 shows a rear view of the second exemplary embodiment in retracted position.

FIG. 13 shows a side view of the third exemplary embodiment in retracted, raised, and closed position.

FIG. 14 shows a side view of the third exemplary embodiment in retracted, raised, and opened position.

FIG. 15 shows a side view of the third exemplary embodiment in extended, raised, and opened position.

FIG. 16 shows a side view of the third exemplary embodiment in extended, lowered, and opened position.

FIG. 17 shows a front view of a track component of the third exemplary embodiment in an extended position.

FIG. 18 shows a side view of a track component of the third exemplary embodiment in an extended position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the invention in more detail, the invention is directed to a system of mechanized cabinetry wherein a storage cabinet may be lowered from a raised storage position to a lowered loading and unloading position within reach of a user, for example a disabled user confined to a wheelchair. In each of several exemplary embodiments, an independent cabinet enclosure having a top, bottom, back, front, left side, and right side is allowed to move translationally guided by a support mechanism between the raised storage position and the lowered loading and unloading position. In each embodiment, the support mechanism is securely fixed to a vertical support, for example affixed between two vertical wall studs of a wooden home. In each embodiment, the mechanism is powered by an electronically controlled drive mechanism, for example an electric motor or hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder system. The cabinet enclosure may optionally be of the common type found in homes wherein one or more swinging doors covers one or more openings in the front of the cabinet (with the doors optionally featuring glass or other transparent components). Optionally, in lieu of doors, a cabinet insert may slide out from the enclosure to give access to the cabinet contents; in such embodiments one or more of the fixed faces may include glass or other transparent components so that the contents can be seen. The inside of the cabinet storage area may be bare or may features shelves, drawers, hooks, rods, or other type of storage structure.

Referring now to the first exemplary embodiment, the first exemplary embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 1-6. FIGS. 1 and demonstrate how an embodiment of the invention may fit into the context of a residential kitchen (though the invention may be equally useful in other rooms of the home and in non-residential settings. A kitchen setup 100 having a refrigerator, countertop, and sink is shown. A moveable cabinet 101 is positioned over an empty region of the countertop. The cabinet 101 may be made of wood, metal, plastic, or other rigid or semi-rigid material suitable for use in cabinetry. The cabinet 101 of the first exemplary embodiment is of ordinary design having two (or optionally one or many) swinging front access doors attached by hinges and optionally retained shut, for example with a magnetic latch system. The cabinet 101 may feature any type of shelving, drawers, or other internal structure or may be internally bare.

Referring still to the first exemplary embodiment, FIGS. 3-4 show a side view and FIGS. 5-6 show a rear view in raised and lowered positions. The cabinet 101 is rotatably fixed on each side to a pair of lever arms 102. Each pair of lever arms is rotatably fastened to a fixed vertical support, such as the vertical wall studs 500 of the kitchen 101. The lever arms 102 may be mounted to the cabinet 101 within a reinforcing frame or structure 301, which may surround the rear edges of the cabinet and may be made of a relatively high shear strength material as compared with the material of the cabinet 101 (e.g. frame 301 made of steel and cabinet 101 made of wood). The lever arms 102 may be affixed to the wall studs 500 via any type of low friction hinge joint 303. The lever arms 102 themselves are preferably made of a rigid, durable, and high shear strength material such as steel or aluminum.

The first exemplary embodiment is driven and retained in stopped position by a linear motion device 200, with rotatably mounts to the rear face of the cabinet 101 and to a fixed position within the wall. A variety of different motion devices may be used. For example, a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder may be directly used, as well as various well-known electrically driven mechanisms, such as a linear motor or motor-driven lead screw. The motion device 200 preferably completely conceals within the wall or cabinet 101 when the cabinet 101 is raised, however embodiments are possible in which the motion device 200 and other components are not completely concealable within the wall, and thus a decorative cover may be constructed to conceal the mechanism while in raised position.

Referring now to the second exemplary embodiment, FIGS. 7-12 show the second exemplary embodiment. In the second exemplary embodiment, a rigid rectangular frame 700 is mounted to a vertical support, for example between a pair of vertical wall studs. Each vertical side of the frame 700 supports a pair axles or hinges 701, preferably at least one of which (e.g the lower one) is vertically slidable. The axles or hinges rotatably support a scissor-type extension mechanism 702 wherein a plurality of opposingly angled members are rotatably fixed to one another such that the mechanism may be contracted or extended along a line of motion that is generally horizontal and orthogonal to the wall. The scissor-type extension mechanism is rotatably and slidably fixed to a rear cabinet frame 703, which surrounds the rear edges of an outer cabinet 704. The outer cabinet 704 encloses an inner cabinet 800 such that the inner cabinet may be dropped down and out of the outer cabinet 704 by vertical motion along a pair of tracks 801, each mounted on one side of the inner cabinet 800 and on the inner face of the outer cabinet 704. The scissor-type mechanism 702 is powered by a linear extension device 1100, which may be any form of actuator, for example an electric motor or hydraulic or pneumatic piston that rotates or extends to drive the scissor-mechanism 702 in its extension and retraction motion. The inner cabinet 800 may likewise be driven on its tracks 801 by a linear motor or other type of linear motion device.

Referring now to the third exemplary embodiment, FIGS. 13-16 show the third exemplary embodiment. In the third exemplary embodiment, a cabinet 1300, optionally having a single door 1301 is set within a wall or enclosure. The cabinet 1300 is mounted so as to be slidable vertically on two pairs of vertical tracks 1302 with respect to a pair of rigid plates 1304 between which the cabinet 1301 rests. The plates 1304 are mounted so as to be slidable horizontally, each on a pair of horizontal tracks 1303 with respect to the interior surface of the wall or enclosure. The vertical tracks 1302 and horizontal tracks 1303 may be powered by linear motors, hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders, or other linear motion devices.

FIGS. 16 and 17 show the track components of the first exemplary embodiment. The track 1700 may slide in and out on itself, driven by a cable 1703. The cable connects fixedly around a spindle 1701 and a pulley 1702, with its ends fixed at a point 1704 on the one of the two slidable components that does not house the spindle 1701. The spindle is driven by a motor 1800. The Applicant has, by experiment, identified that most commercially available motors are unsuitable for the present application because they cannot deliver sufficient torque and speed for practicable use or are too large to usefully use in the present application. A commercially available motor having a part number EMS 4P321-01 28a, commonly used in hospital beds and patient lifts, demonstrates the speed and torque necessary to move a fully loaded kitchen cabinet at a practicable rate of speed. The motor identified provides a very small footprint such that it may be mounted within the walls of the cabinet 1300 or the plates 1304. Since the motor 1800 directly drives the spindle, wasted storage volume above and to the sides of the cabinet 1304 is minimized.

It should be noted that, in the first exemplary embodiment as best shown in FIGS. 3-4, the cabinet 101 preferably comes to rest in its access position on or near the front edge of a countertop or other surface. This motion allows the user to store frequently used items at the rear of the counter or to lower the cabinet 101 over and in front of any temporary items located on the counter, for example food in the process of preparation. The same advantage, namely space beneath and behind the cabinet which may be obstructed, is present in the second exemplary embodiment as best show in FIG. 8. The same advantage may be attained in the third exemplary embodiment as shown in FIG. 16 by extending the length of the rigid plates 1304 and, correspondingly, the length of the horizontal tracks 1303.

It should be further noted that the first, second, and third exemplary embodiments, and the invention generally may be mechanically inverted to create a lift-cabinet rather than a drop-cabinet. This may generally be achieved by allowing the cabinet's vertical dimension of motion to go up, rather than down, and the storage position low rather than high. Each mechanism may be otherwise unmodified. The lift variant of the invention preserve's the invention's advantage of having an obstructable region behind the access position; however the obstructable region is located above, rather than below the storage position.

While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is presently considered to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should, therefore, not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention. 

I claim:
 1. A mechanical cabinet system comprising: (a) a rigid cabinet structure having at least a rear surface, left side surface, and right side surface; (b) a vertical support; (c) a moveable cabinet mounting means for mounting said cabinet to said vertical support such that said cabinet may be moved along a mechanically limited path between a storage position and an access position such that said mechanically limited path avoids an obstructable region located below or above said storage position and behind said access position; (d) said cabinet being mounted to said vertical support by said moveable cabinet mounting means; (e) a powered motion-generating means for selectively urging said cabinet structure between said storage position and said access position; (f) said powered motion-generating means being mechanically affixed to any combination of said cabinet structure, said vertical support, and said cabinet mounting means; (g) said cabinet structure further comprises a rigid bottom surface and a rigid top surface; (h) said moveable cabinet mounting means in part comprises a plurality of vertical tracks, each having a first side and a second side; (i) each of said first sides of said vertical tracks being slidably mounted to one the vertical surfaces of said cabinet structure; (j) a plurality of rigid plates, each having a first side and a second side, positioned parallel to those vertical surfaces of said cabinet structure to which said first sides of said vertical tracks are slidably attached; (k) each of said second sides of said vertical tracks being slidable mounted to the first side of one of said rigid plates; (l) said moveable cabinet mounting means in part further comprises a plurality of horizontal tracks, each having a first side and a second side; (m) each of said first sides of said horizontal tracks being slidably mounted to the second side of one of said rigid plates; (n) each of said second sides of said horizontal tracks being slidable mounted within a storage cavity; (o) said storage cavity being partly or wholly disposed within said vertical support; and (p) said powered motion generating means comprising a motor driving, said motor driving a spindle, a pulley, said spindle being disposed within at least one of said horizontal tracks or said vertical tracks on the first member thereof and said pulley being disposed within the second member thereof, a cable, said cable being fixed about said spindle and about said pulley, an attachment point, said attachment point being located on the second member of said at least one of said horizontal tracks or said vertical tracks, and said cable being attached at its ends to said attachment point; whereby said cabinet structure may be moved between said storage position wholly or partially within said vertical support and an intermediate position extended out from said vertical support, and may be lowered or raised from said intermediate position down or up to reach said access position.
 2. The mechanical cabinet system of claim 1 wherein said motor is sufficiently small to fit substantially within one of the group of said rigid plates or one of the vertical surfaces of said cabinet structure.
 3. The mechanical cabinet system of claim 1 wherein said motor is of sufficient speed and torque to practicably move said rigid cabinet structure when said rigid cabinet structure is fully loaded kitchen cabinet.
 4. The mechanical cabinet system of claim 2 wherein said motor is of sufficient speed and torque to practicably move said rigid cabinet structure when said rigid cabinet structure is fully loaded kitchen cabinet. 